Monday, June 13, 2011

A company director told the High Court here today that he had to sell two plots of land and a bungalow here at a price of RM3.5 million to former Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo in 2007 for fear of jeopardising his housing projects in Selangor.

Ditamas Sdn Bhd (Ditamas) director Shamsuddin Hayroni said he had to do so after taking into considerations his position as a businessman in Selangor and Mohamad Khir's position as the then menteri besar.

"Mohamad Khir and I had discussed the price in 2004 and he wanted the property to be sold at RM3.5 million. I personally did not agree because it was too low and I told him that it should be at least between RM5 million to RM5.5 million.

"When I bought the property, it was priced at RM5 million and with renovation cost of RM1.5 million, the price should be RM6.5 million. I gave him a little discount and set the price at RM5.5 million, but Mohamad Khir did not agree with the price, saying that he could only afford RM3.5 million," he said when questioned by deputy public prosecutor, Abdul Wahab Mohamed.

Shamsuddin was testifying on the fourth day of the trial of the former menteri besar who is accused of acquiring for himself and his wife, Datin Seri Zahrah Kechik, 45, two plots of land and a bungalow at No. 8 & 10, Jalan Suasa 7/1L, Shah Alam from Ditamas through Shamsuddin.

Mohamad Khir is said to have paid RM3.5 million for the property in Section 7 here, which Ditamas had bought on Dec 23, 2004 for RM6.5 million.

Mohamad Khir, who is also Sungai Panjang assemblyman, is alleged to have committed the offence at the official residence of the Menteri Besar in Jalan Permata 7/1, Section 1, here on May 29, 2007.

When asked to explain further why he had agreed to sell the property at a lower price, Shamsuddin said he made the decision after discussing with his wife and after telling her that he had secured a major project in Selangor and that a menteri besar had wanted to buy his house at a price of RM3.5 million.

"I agreed because I was afraid of losing my position as a businessman in Selangor and feared that my housing project in the state would be affected," he said.

Shamsuddin also said that the property, which he bought under Ditamas Sdn Bhd, was sold to Mohamad Khir and Zahrah in 2007 and that the ownership was also transferred to the couple the same year.

He said Mohamad Khir gave him a cheque of RM500,000 as deposit on May 28, 2007 and a cheque for RM3 million for the balance on Aug 16, 2007 via his lawyer Doris Getrude Mayappen.

Shamsuddin said he was forced to buy the two plots of land from Syarikat Permodalan Kebangsaan Berhad chief executive officer Saiful Aznir Shahabudin at a price of RM6.5 million on Dec 23, 2004 after being told to do so by Mohamad Khir.

"Initially, Mohamad Khir was the one who was interested in the property and asked Datuk Sumadi Ismail (a friend of Saiful Aznir's father who introduced Mohamad Khir to Saiful Aznir) to purchase them, but when Sumadi said he had other commitments, Mohamad Khir asked me to buy the house. He was the then menteri besar and I did what he told me to do," Shamsuddin said.

Earlier, landscape designer Nasir Ismail maintained his testimony that he was paid more than RM6 million by Mohamad Khir for renovation work on his luxury home in Shah Alam.

He said this when questioned by lawyer A.Athimulan who suggested that he did not have any document concerning the transaction.

Nasir, however, admitted that he did not keep any document or receipt and could not remember clearly about the payments made for the renovation work.

He also said that he could not remember the actual date of each payment made by Mohamad Khir, except the fact that he was paid in cash.

Athimulan also submitted to the court an agreement worth RM1.5 million signed by Nasir and Mohamad Khir in May 2007, which he said was the actual contract between the two of them and that the renovation work had only taken place that year.

Nasir, however, defended his earlier testimony and stressed that the renovation work for Mohamad Khir's luxury home in Shah Alam began in 2006 and that he was paid more than RM6 million.